Computer-readable recording medium with system managing program recorded therein, system managing method and system managing apparatus

ABSTRACT

A computer-readable recording medium stores therein a system managing program for assisting in constructing an environment for efficiently operating a system depending on the access to data from an application. An application information collecting unit acquires management information representing access to data from an application function which is realized when a server of a network system executes an application program, and registers the acquired management information in a system management table. A system information collecting unit acquires resource management information owned by an operating system of the server, and registers the acquired resource management information in the system management table. An information analyzing unit refers to the system management table and determines whether the management of resources depending on the access to the data from the application function is adequate or not.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based upon and claims the benefits of priority fromthe prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-290971, filed on Oct. 4,2005, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a computer-readable recording mediumrecording therein a system managing program for enabling a computer tomanage a system made up of a plurality of servers, a system managingmethod, and a system managing apparatus, and more particularly to acomputer-readable recording medium recording therein a system managingprogram for allowing hardware resources to be automatically added, asystem managing method, and a system managing apparatus.

(2) Description of the Related Art

At present, various services are provided through networks. When thenumber of users of a system increases, the load on the system increasesin operation. Therefore, a need arises to strengthen the functions ofthe system. Generally, when a computer system runs short of sufficientprocessing capabilities, resources including servers and storage devicesare added to make up for the shortage, reconstructing the system in itsentirety.

As a computer system becomes larger in scale and has its systemconfiguration frequently changed, it becomes difficult to operate theresources efficiently. There have been proposed various techniques formaking more efficient the operation of resources such as storagedevices, etc. (see, for example, Japanese laid-open patent publicationNo. 2004-227359, Japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2001-184175,and Japanese laid-open patent publication No. H05-173873).

Conventional systems judge an optimum system configuration based onvarious management information, representing a free disk capacity, etc.,which is managed by an OS (Operating System). Actually, however, sincefunctions based on an application program (hereinafter simply referredto as “application”) perform processing activities using resources, thejudgment may possibly be inadequate if it is based on only themanagement information from the OS.

For example, for storing data in a storage device (including a RAID(Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) device) connected to a computersystem, an application running on the computer system writes the data ona disk that is assigned to the application. The written data is updatedor deleted by the application.

Data processed by an application includes various attributes such asupdated date, size, owner, I/O response, importance, and recoveryfrequency. Some of these attributes, e.g., importance and recoveryfrequency, can only be grasped on the application. If resource overageand shortage are judged with disregard to those attributes, then thefollowing problems arise:

1) A general file system has information as to the time and date offinal access to data, but not information as to access frequency. Ifdata of low access frequency is left undeleted in a fast, expensive diskdevice, then the disk device ROI (Return On Investment) becomes low.Stated otherwise, data of low access frequency does not need to bestored in a fast, expensive disk device. When the data is transferred toanother medium, the high-functionality disk device can effectively beutilized.

2) If data of low access frequency is left undeleted in a disk device,reducing its free disk capacity, then the I/O response, i.e., a periodof time spent after an access request is sent to the disk device until aresponse is returned from the disk device, of the disk device becomesslow. This phenomenon manifests itself when access concentrates on acertain location of the disk.

3) Recent computer systems experience frequent configurational changessuch as the addition of a disk device. Because of such frequentconfigurational changes, even if the computer system has an accessmonitoring function, the added disk device may possibly escape frombeing monitored. Therefore, it is difficult to keep on monitoring accessfrom an application to data in the disk device, using a monitoringfunction different from the application.

4) Scheduled automatic data backup is performed by a dedicatedapplication. Since such a backup schedule has not been used asinformation for system operation management, the data backup has beeninefficient. For example, backup management does not ensure data backupin view of data updating information, i.e., performs differential databackup with no information as to whether it is optimally scheduled ornot, but backs up data periodically once a day or a week regardless ofthe risk of losing the data. The data backup practice tends tosignificantly affect all aspects from application defects to systemdisaster, and needs to go through substantial redoing.

5) The administrator manually presets a disk whose data has to be backedup. When hardware is added or removed, the administrator is liable toforget data backup.

As described above, it has heretofore been difficult to performefficient system management depending on the processing details of anapplication because of a lack of management information obtained fromthe application.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide acomputer-readable recording medium with a system managing programrecorded therein, a system managing method, and a system managingapparatus which assist in constructing an environment for efficientlyoperating a system depending on the access to data from an application.

To achieve the above object, there is provided a recording mediumreadable by a computer and storing a system managing program forassisting in optimizing a system configuration. The system managingprogram enables the computer to function as application informationcollecting means for acquiring management information representingaccess to data from an application function which is realized when aserver of a network system executes an application program, andregistering the acquired management information in a system managementtable, system information collecting means for acquiring resourcemanagement information owned by an operating system of the server, andregistering the acquired resource management information in the systemmanagement table, and information analyzing means for referring to thesystem management table and determining whether the management ofresources depending on the access to the data from the applicationfunction is adequate or not.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following description when takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferredembodiments of the present invention by way of example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a system arrangement according to theembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a hardware arrangement of a computeraccording to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing processing functions of a managementserver and servers.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a dataattribute table.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a storageattribute table.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a sequence of a system managing process.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an information collecting process.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of management informationcollected from an application.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of management informationcollected from an agent.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of management informationcollected from a storage device.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a transition which the amount of datamanaged by a server undergoes.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a transition which the amount of data usedby an application undergoes.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a transition which the amount of datamanaged by a file system undergoes.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing another transition which the amount of datamanaged by a file system undergoes.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram showing the manner in which a thresholdexcess is indicated.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing the manner in which a systemmigration occurs.

FIG. 18 is a diagram, partly in block form, showing results of atendency analysis of data that has not been used for a long period oftime.

FIG. 19 is a diagram, partly in block form, showing results of atendency analysis of a stored amount of data as it changes from the pastto the future.

FIG. 20 is a diagram, partly in block form, showing results of atendency analysis of an I/O response and a data storage area usageratio.

FIG. 21 is a diagram, partly in block form, showing results of atendency analysis of a busy rate and an I/O response.

FIG. 22 is a diagram, partly in block form, showing results of anadequacy analysis of a backup schedule based on a tendency analysis ofrecovery frequency.

FIG. 23 is a diagram, partly in block form, showing results of ananalysis of an unrecovery backup schedule.

FIG. 24 is a diagram, partly in block form, showing results of ananalysis of setting omissions of a backup schedule.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below withreference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows in block form an embodiment of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 1, a system managing apparatus 1 is connected to a server2 of a network system. Another device, e.g., a storage device 3, isconnected to the network system.

The system managing apparatus 1 has an application informationcollecting means 1 a, a system information collecting means 1 b, asystem management table 1 c, and an information analyzing means 1 d, forassisting in optimizing a system configuration.

The application information collecting means 1 a acquires managementinformation representing access to data from an application function 2 awhich is realized when the server 2 of the network system executes anapplication program, and registers the acquired management informationin the system management table 1 c. For example, if the applicationfunction 2 a has a function to back up data, then the applicationinformation collecting means la collects information as to a backupschedule and a restored history of backup data.

The system information collecting means 1 b acquires resource managementinformation owned by an operating system 2 b of the server 2, andregisters the acquired resource management information in the systemmanagement table 1 c. For example, the system information collectingmeans 1 b collects file systems owned by the operating system 2 b andinformation as to a history of data access through the file systems.

The system management table 1 c stores management information collectedby the application information collecting means la and managementinformation collected by the system information collecting means 1 b, inrelation to data identification information and storage deviceidentification information, for example.

The information analyzing means 1 d refers to the management informationstored in the system management table 1 c, and determines whether themanagement of resources depending on the access of the data from theapplication function 2 a is adequate or not. For example, theinformation analyzing means 1 d can extract data that has escaped from abackup schedule from the data managed by a file system. The informationanalyzing means 1 d can also determine the updating of data included ina backup schedule from the management information acquired from theoperating system to determine the adequacy of backup intervals, etc.

The system managing apparatus 1 thus constructed operates as follows:The application information collecting means 1 a acquires managementinformation representing access to data from the application function 2a, and registers the acquired management information in the systemmanagement table 1 c. The system information collecting means 1 bacquires resource management information owned by the operating system 2b of the server 2, and registers the acquired resource managementinformation in the system management table 1 c. The informationanalyzing means 1 d refers to the management information stored in thesystem management table 1 c, and determines whether the management ofresources depending on the data access by the application function 2 ais adequate or not.

As a result, the system managing apparatus 1 is capable of appropriatelydetermining whether the management of the system by the applicationfunction 2 a and the operating system 2 b is adequate or not. Forexample, the system managing apparatus 1 can appropriately determine theadequacy of a backup schedule and also the adequacy of a data storagedevice, e.g., whether data accessed by an application at a higherfrequency is stored in a higher-performance storage device or not.

The analytic results from the information analyzing means 1 d can beoutput as visual graphs for the system administrator to easily recognizeresults of tendency analyses.

Based on the analytic results from the information analyzing means 1 d,the system managing apparatus 1 can automatically perform an automaticdata migration, an automatic data relocation for higher performance, anautomatic backup schedule change, etc.

A system comprising a combination of the functions illustrated in FIG. 1and an automatic migrating function according to the embodiment of thepresent invention will be described in detail below.

FIG. 2 shows in block form a system arrangement according to theembodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, a Web system200 provides various services to a plurality of terminal devices 21, 22,. . . that are connected to the Internet 90. The Web system 200 ismanaged by a management server 100 that is connected thereto through anetwork 10. A managing terminal device 20 is connected to the managementserver 100 through the network 10.

The Web system 200 has a load balancer 210, a level 2 (L2) switch 220, aplurality of servers 230, 230 a, 230 b, a fiber channel (FC) switch 240,and a storage device group 250 including a plurality of storage devices251 through 256.

The load balancer 210 is connected to the Internet 90 for communicationswith the terminal devices 21, 22, . . . . The load balancer 210 alsomonitors the loads processed by servers that are in operation, anddistribute processing requests from the terminal devices 21, 22, . . .to the servers for load deconcentration.

The L2 switch 220 is connected between the load balancer 210 and theservers 230, 230 a, 230 b. The L2 switch 220 transfers processingrequests distributed by the load balancer 210 to the correspondingservers.

The servers 230, 230 a, 230 b perform respective processes depending onprocessing requests from the terminal devices 21, 22, . . . , and returnprocessed results to the terminal devices 21, 22, . . . . As a generalrule, at least one of the servers 230, 230 a, 230 b is reserved as abackup server, which does not provide services while the other serversare performing their processes. When the servers 230, 230 a, 230 bperform their processes, they access the storage device group 250 asnecessary.

The FC switch 240 is connected between the servers 230, 230 a, 230 b andthe storage device group 250. The FC switch 240 transfers accessrequests from the servers 230, 230 a, 230 b to the storage devices 251through 256 which are specified by the access requests.

The storage device group 250 manages the storage devices 251 through256. At least one of the storage devices 251 through 256 is pooled as areserved storage device, and the other storage devices are used by theservers.

The management server 100 is connected to the various components of theWeb system 200 through the network 10, and manages how those componentsare operated. If the Web system 200 runs short of a hardware resourcefor providing a certain service, then the management server 100determines the type (a server or a storage device) of the hardwareresource to be added. The management server 100 reconstructs theoperating configuration of the Web server 200 such that the hardwareresource determined to be added will be used to provide thecorresponding service.

The managing terminal device 20 is a terminal device that is used by thesystem administrator. When the results of a tendency analysis of systemusage are sent from the management server 200 to the managing terminaldevice 20, the system administrator can determine whether the systemconfiguration needs to be changed or not.

The system arrangement shown in FIG. 2 allows a server or a storagedevice for providing each desired service to be added to the Web system200. Specifically, the management server 100 measures an increase in theamount of usage of a storage device over a certain period of time withrespect to each service. Then, the management server 100 compares themeasured increase with a threshold for each service, and determineswhether only a storage device is to be added or a server is to be added.

If a server is to be added, then the management server 100 copies imagedata including an OS and various software applications to the server tobe added, and activates the server with the OS. The management server100 sets an IP address, etc. in the activated server.

The management server 100 also reads necessary data from the storagedevice that is being currently used, and copies the read data to a newstorage device. The management server 100 instructs the load balancer210 to incorporate the server into the service.

If a storage device is to be added, then the management server 100 setthe FC switch 240, etc. so that the storage device to be added can beaccessed from the corresponding service.

FIG. 3 shows in block form a hardware arrangement of a computer for useas the management server 100 according to the embodiment of the presentinvention. The management server 100 is controlled in its entirety by aCPU (Central Processing Unit) 101. To the CPU 101, there are connected aRAM (Random Access Memory) 102, a HDD (Hard Disk Drive) 103, a graphicprocessor 104, an input interface 105, and a communication interface106.

The RAM 102 temporarily stores at least a portion of an OS program andapplication programs to be executed by the CPU 101. The RAM 102 alsostores various data required in processing sequences of the CPU 101. TheHDD 103 stores the OS program and the application programs.

A display monitor 11 is connected to the graphic processor 104. Thegraphic processor 104 displays images on the screen of the displaymonitor 11 according to instructions from the CPU 101. A keyboard 12 anda mouse 13 are connected to the input interface 105. The input interface105 transmits signals from the keyboard 12 and the mouse 13 to the CPU101 through a bus 107.

The communication interface 106 is connected to the network 10 forsending data to and receiving data from other computers through thenetwork 10.

The hardware arrangement described above is capable of performingprocessing functions according to the embodiment of the presentinvention. Though the hardware arrangement of the management server 100is illustrated in FIG. 3, each of the servers 230, 230 a, 230 b and theterminal devices 21, 22, . . . may be of a hardware arrangement similarto the hardware arrangement shown in FIG. 3.

Functions that the management server 100 and the servers 230, 230 a, 230b have will be described below.

FIG. 4 shows in block form processing functions of the management server100 and the servers 230, 230 a, 230 b. In FIG. 4, the server 230 isillustrated and the servers 230 a, 230 b are omitted from illustration.However, the processing functions of the servers 230 a, 230 b areidentical to those of the server 230. As shown in FIG. 4, the server 230has an OS 131, an agent 232, and various applications including aplurality of applications 233, 233 a, 233 b, . . . .

The OS 231 manages the server 230 in its entirety. The OS 231 has filesystems for accessing the storage devices 251, 252, and device drivers.According to requests from the applications 233, 233 a, 233 b, . . . ,the OS 231 accesses the storage devices 251, 252, . . . .

The agent 232 sends management information owned by the OS 231 to themanagement server 100 in response to a request from the managementserver 100. For example, the agent 232 collects information as to freedisk capacities, etc. of the storage devices 251, 252, . . . from thefile systems of the OS 231, and sends the collected information to themanagement server 100.

The applications 233, 233 a, 233 b, . . . are processing functions forperforming data backup, etc. The applications 233, 233 a, 233 b, . . .acquire data that needs to be processed from the storage devices 251,252, . . . , and store processed data in the storage devices 251, 252, .. . . Furthermore, in response to a request from the management server100, the applications 233, 233 a, 233 b, . . . send managementinformation as to access to the storage devices 251, 252, . . . to themanagement server 100.

The management server 100 has an application information collector 110,a system information collector 120, a hardware information collector130, a data attribute table 140, a storage attribute table 150, aninformation analyzer 160, an analytic result indicator 170, an automaticmigrator 180, and a system managing function controller 190.

The application information collector 110 requests the applications 233,233 a, 233 b, . . . to send attributes of data managed thereby (dataattributes). The application information collector 110 can collectmanagement information by polling when the application informationcollector 110 needs the management information.

When information representing data attributes is sent from theapplications 233, 233 a, 233 b, . . . to the application informationcollector 110 in response to the request, the application informationcollector 110 stores the acquired data attributes in the data attributetable 140 and the storage attribute table 150. For example, theapplication information collector 110 collects information aboutresources, e.g., data units handled by the applications, such as files,data, and DB capacities, that are generated, updated, and deleted by theapplications 233, 233 a, 233 b, . . . .

The system information collector 120 requests the agent 232 to sendattribute information of data managed by the OS 231. The systeminformation collector 120 can collect data managed by the OS 231 bypolling when the system information collector 120 needs the data.

When information representing storage attributes is sent from the agent232 to the system information collector 120 in response to the request,the system information collector 120 stores the acquired storageattributes in the storage attribute table 150. For example, the systeminformation collector 120 can collect information managed by the OS 231,such as updated date, size, owner of data.

The hardware information collector 130 accesses the storage devices 251,252, . . . and acquires attribute information of the storage devices251, 252, . . . . Specifically, the hardware information collector 130collects data by polling when the hardware information collector 130needs the attribute information. The hardware information collector 130stores the acquired attribute information in the storage attribute table150.

The application information collector 110, the system informationcollector 120, and the hardware information collector 130 collectinformation at times according to preset collecting policy definitions.

The information analyzer 160 refers to information registered in thedata attribute table 140 and the storage attribute table 150, andanalyzes how resources are used. For example, the information analyzer160 extracts data that has been unaccessed for a predetermined number ofdays or more, data that needs an I/O response for a predetermined periodof time or more, and data that has been recovered a predetermined numberof times per month.

The information analyzer 160 then determines resource overage andshortage and also determines whether the allocation of a resource to anapplication is adequate or not. If there is a resource shortage, thenthe information analyzer 160 sends information representative of theresource shortage to the analytic result indicator 170. If theinformation analyzer 160 finds that the system configuration needs to bechanged as a result of its information analysis and the systemconfiguration can automatically be changed, then the informationanalyzer 160 sends a system change instruction to the automatic migrator180.

The analytic result indicator 170 sends analytic results from theinformation analyzer 160 to the system administrator according to acommunication technology such as electronic mail or the like.

The automatic migrator 180 automatically migrates the system based on aninstruction from the information analyzer 160. For example, when theautomatic migrator 180 receives an instruction to add a storage device,the automatic migrator 180 makes the pooled storage device operational,and sets the added storage device so as to be accessible from the filesystem of each server 230, 230 a, 230 b.

The automatic migrator 180 can move data that has been unaccessed for apredetermined number of days or more and has a level of importance otherthan “High”, from one of the storage devices to a lower-speed hard diskdrive. In this manner, the automatic migrator 180 allows the functionsof the fast, expensive storage devices to be effectively utilized.

The automatic migrator 180 can also move data that needs an I/O responsefor a predetermined period of time or more, from one of the storagedevices to another equivalent storage device. In this manner, theautomatic migrator 180 distributes access to a plurality of storagedevices for better I/O responses.

Depending on analytic results from the information analyzer 160, thesystem managing function controller 190 instructs the applications 233,233 a, 233 b installed in the server 230 to operate. For example, thesystem managing function controller 190 can change settings of backupapplications to increase a backup frequency with respect to data thathas been recovered a predetermined number of times per month. In thismanner, it is possible to reduce data which would otherwise be lost inthe event of a system fault for thereby increasing the efficiency of arecovery process.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a data structure of the data attribute table140. As shown in FIG. 5, the data attribute table 140 includes columnsof data identifiers, data attributes, and storage identifiers.

The column of data identifiers lists the identifiers of data, e.g.,files, managed by file systems. The column of data attributes lists theattributes of data.

The column of data attributes is divided into a plurality of columns ofdifferent attribute types. In the example shown in FIG. 5, thesedifferent attribute types include updated date, size, owner, importance,I/O response, recovery frequency, and backed up/not backed up. Thecolumn of updated dates lists the last dates when data have beenupdated. The column of sizes lists data capacities. The column of ownerslists the names of the owners of data. The column of importance liststhe levels (High, Middle, and Low) of importance of data. The column ofI/O responses lists the times required to access data, i.e., the periodsof time spent after an access request is sent until a response isreturned. The column of recovery frequencies lists the numbers of timesthat backup data have been recovered within a predetermined period,together with all recovery dates. The column of backed up/not backed uplists information as to whether data have been backed up or not.

The column of storage identifiers lists the identifiers of storagedevices in which data are stored.

Of the data attributes listed in the data attribute table 140, theupdated dates, the sizes, and the owners represent information that isacquired from the file systems in the OS 231. The data attributesincluding the levels of importance, the I/O responses, the recoveryfrequencies, and backed up/not backed up represent information that isacquired from the application 233.

The information listed in the column of I/O responses representanalytical data that is calculated at respective sample times based onthe information of the sampled access times.

FIG. 6 shows an example of a data structure of the storage attributetable 150. As shown in FIG. 6, the storage attribute table 150 includescolumns of storage identifiers and storage attributes.

The column of storage identifiers lists the identifiers of storagedevices. The column of storage attributes lists the attributes ofstorage devices.

The column of storage attributes is divided into a plurality of columnsof different attribute types. In the example shown in FIG. 6, thesediffer rent attribute types include price, performance, used capacity,unused capacity, I/O response, and backed up/not backed up. The columnof prices lists the relative evaluations (High, Middle, and Low) of theprices of storage devices. The column of performances lists the relativeevaluations (High, Middle, and Low) of the performances of storagedevices. The column of used capacities lists the data storagecapacities, which are currently used, of storage devices. The column ofunused capacities lists the free capacities of storage devices. Thecolumn of I/O responses lists the times required to access storagedevices. The column of backed up/not backed up lists information as towhether storage devices have been backed up or not.

The information listed in the column of I/O responses representanalytical data that are calculated at respective sampled access timesbased on the information of the sampled access times.

The system constructed as described above performs processes describedbelow.

FIG. 7 shows a sequence of a system managing process. The systemmanaging process shown in FIG. 7 will be described below with respect tostep numbers shown in FIG. 7.

[Step S11] The application information collector 110 collectsinformation as to system management from the applications 233, 233 a,233 b, . . . . The application information collector 110 stores thecollected information in the data attribute table 140 and the storageattribute table 150.

[Step S12] The system information collector 120 collects systeminformation managed by the OS 231 in the server 230 through the agent232 of the server 230. The system information collector 120 registersthe collected system information in the data attribute table 140 and thestorage attribute table 150.

[Step S13] The hardware information collector 130 accesses the storagedevices 251, 252, . . . and collects management information that thestorage devices 251, 252, . . . have. The hardware information collector130 registers the collected management information in the data attributetable 140 and the storage attribute table 150.

The information thus collected in steps S11 through S13 is related toeach other. Specifically, the attributes (prices, performances, usedcapacities, etc.) of resources (storage devices, etc.), the attributes(updated dates, sizes, etc.) of data contained in the resources, andpolicies (whether backup is necessary or not, etc.) are related to eachother.

[Step S14] The information analyzer 160 analyzes the informationregistered in the data attribute table 140 and the storage attributetable 150, and performs a tendency analysis with respect to transitionsof values of the various information. For example, the informationanalyzer 160 determines transitions which average access times of thestorage devices 251, 252, . . . undergo.

[Step S15] The analytic result indicator 170 displays results of thetendency analysis on the display monitor 11. For example, the analyticresult indicator 170 displays on the display monitor 11 a graphrepresenting a transition of average access times in respective timezones.

[Step S16] The automatic migrator 180 automatically migrates the systemdepending on the results of the tendency analysis. Specifically, theautomatic migrator 180 determines a resource shortage or a resourceoverage based on the results of the tendency analysis, and displays onthe display monitor 11 a proposed system configurational change torealize an appropriate system configuration. When the user enters aninput signal accepting the proposed system configurational change, theautomatic migrator 180 migrates the system according to the proposedsystem configurational change.

[Step S17] The system managing function controller 190 optimizes systemsettings depending on the results of the tendency analysis.Specifically, the system managing function controller 190 outputs arequest to update the system settings to the applications 233, 233 a,233 b and the agent 232 of the server 230. In response to the updatingrequest, the applications 233, 233 a, 233 b and the agent 232 updatesthe settings of various processes. For example, an application forbacking up data adds/deletes a backup schedule and a storage device tobe backed up.

The system managing process shown in FIG. 7 will be described in detailbelow.

FIG. 8 shows an information collecting process in block form. As shownin FIG. 8, the application information collector 110 searches forapplications on the system. Then, the application information collector110 requests the detected applications 233, 233 a, 233 b to sendmanagement information (step S21). The applications 233, 233 a, 233 bsend the management information to the application information collector110 (step S22). For example, an application for backing up data sendsinformation as to a recovery frequency and whether backup is necessaryor not, with respect to each data or each storage device. Theapplication information collector 110 stores the management informationsent from the applications 233, 233 a, 233 b in the data attribute table140 and the storage attribute table 150 (step S23).

The system information collector 120 searches for a server group, andrequests the agent 232 in the detected server 230 to send managementinformation (step S24). The agent 232 accesses management informationretained by the file systems and device drivers in the OS 231 (stepS25). The agent 232 acquires the management information retained by thefile systems and the device drivers (step S26). For example, the agent232 acquires information as to the updated dates, the sizes, and theowners of data. The agent 232 sends the acquired management informationto the system information collector 120 of the management server 100(step S27). The system information collector 120 stores the receivedmanagement information in the data attribute table 140 and the storageattribute table 150 (step S28).

The hardware information collector 130 accesses management informationin the storage devices 251, 252, . . . (step S29). The hardwareinformation collector 130 acquires the management information from thestorage devices 251, 252, . . . (step S30). For example, the hardwareinformation collector 130 acquires information as to I/O responses, usedcapacities of the storage devices, unused capacities (free capacities)of the storage devices, etc. The hardware information collector 130stores the acquired management information in the data attribute table140 and the storage attribute table 150 (step S31).

FIG. 9 shows an example of management information collected from anapplication. FIG. 9 illustrates data management information 31 a, 31 b,31 c, 31 d, 32 a, 32 b, 32 c, 32 d and directory management information33, 34.

The data management information 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d is managementinformation with respect to a plurality of respective data indirectories whose absolute path in the file systems is represented by“/home/aplA/”. The data management information 32 a, 32 b, 32 c, 32 d ismanagement information with respect to a plurality of respective data indirectories whose absolute path in the file systems is represented by“/work/aplA/”. The data management information 31 a, 31 b, 31 c, 31 d,32 a, 32 b, 32 c, 32 d includes path names (file names added to thedirectory path), owners (data generators), generated dates, and updateddates.

The directory management information 33 is management informationrelative to a directory whose absolute path is represented by“/home/aplA/”. The directory management information 34 is managementinformation relative to a directory whose absolute path is representedby “/work/aplA/”. The directory management information 33, 34 containspath names, levels of importance, guaranteed I/O response values, andautomatization flags.

A level of importance indicates how much the service is affected whenthe data stored in the directory is lost. In the example shown in FIG.9, the levels of importance are represented by high and low. Aguaranteed I/O response value is an I/O response, i.e., a period of timerequired from an access to a response, to be guaranteed for an access todata in the directory. If an I/O response is not guaranteed, then theguaranteed I/O response value is set to a maximum value (“9999 seconds”in the example shown in FIG. 9) that can be set.

An automatization flag is a flag indicative of whether the system is tobe automatically migrated or not. If the system is to be automaticallymigrated, then the automatization flag is set to “ON”. If the system isnot to be automatically migrated, then the automatization flag is set to“OFF”.

FIG. 10 shows an example of management information collected from theagent 232. FIG. 10 illustrates file system management information 41, 42and file system management policy information 43, 44 of the respectivefile systems.

The file system management information 41, 42 represents information ofresources assigned to the file systems. Specifically, the file systemmanagement information 41, 42 contains file system names, assignedcapacities, used capacities, generated dates, and updated dates.

The file system management policy information 43, 44 representsinformation serving as guidelines for managing the file systems.Specifically, the file system management policy information 43, 44contains file system names, levels of importance, guaranteed I/Oresponse values, used capacity monitoring thresholds, automatizationflags, threshold excess indicator flags, expansion flags, and migrationflags. A level of importance indicates how much the service is affectedwhen the data managed by the file system is lost. In the example shownin FIG. 10, the levels of importance are represented by high and low. Aguaranteed I/O response value is an I/O response, i.e., a period of timerequired from an access to a response, to be guaranteed for an access todata managed by the file system. If an I/O response is not guaranteed,then the guaranteed I/O response value is set to a maximum value (“9999seconds” in the example shown in FIG. 10) that can be set.

A used capacity monitoring threshold is a threshold beyond which thefree capacity of the file system is judged as being insufficient. Theused capacity monitoring threshold is represented by the ratio(percentage) of the used capacity to the assigned capacity. If the usedcapacity exceeds the used capacity monitoring threshold, then the filesystem is judged as suffering a free capacity shortage.

An automatization flag is a flag indicative of whether the system is tobe automatically migrated or not. If the system is to be automaticallymigrated, then the automatization flag is set to “ON”. If the system isnot to be automatically migrated, then the automatization flag is set to“OFF”.

A threshold excess indicator flag is a flag indicative of whether theterminal of the administrator is to be notified or not when the usedcapacity of the file system exceeds a threshold. If the terminal of theadministrator is to be notified, the threshold excess indicator flag isset to “ON”. If the terminal of the administrator is not to be notified,the threshold excess indicator flag is set to “OFF”. When the thresholdexcess indicator flag is “ON”, information such as an electronic mailaddress or the like of the party to be notified is registered as adetailed setting.

An expansion flag is a flat indicative of whether the capacity of thefile system is to be expanded or not. If the capacity of the file systemis to be expanded, then the expansion flag is set to “ON”. If thecapacity of the file system is not to be expanded, then the expansionflag is set to “OFF”.

A migration flag is a flag indicative of whether the file system is tobe migrated or not. If the file system is to be migrated, then themigration flag is set to “ON”. If the file system is not to be migrated,then the migration flag is set to “OFF”. When the migration flag is“ON”, then information required for migration, e.g., a performance to berequired by a storage device to which data is to be transferred, isregistered as detailed information.

FIG. 11 shows an example of management information collected from astorage device. FIG. 11 illustrates storage device managementinformation 51, 52 and storage device management policy information 53,54.

The storage device management information 51, 52 represents informationof resources assigned to the storage devices. Specifically, the storagedevice management information 51, 52 contains pool names (according tothe present embodiment, a storage device to be managed for migration isreferred to as “pool”), assigned capacities, used capacities, unassignedcapacities, generated dates, and updated dates.

The storage device management policy information 53, 54 representsinformation serving as guidelines for managing the storage devices.Specifically, the storage device management policy information 53, 54contains pool names, levels of importance, guaranteed I/O responsevalues, and automatization flags. A level of importance indicates howmuch the service is affected when the data stored in the storage deviceis lost. In the example shown in FIG. 11, the levels of importance arerepresented by high and low. A guaranteed I/O response value is an I/Oresponse to be guaranteed for access to data stored in the storagedevice. If an I/O response is not guaranteed, then the guaranteed I/Oresponse value is set to a maximum value (“9999 seconds” in the exampleshown in FIG. 11) that can be set.

An automatization flag is a flag indicative of whether the system is tobe automatically migrated or not. If the system is to be automaticallymigrated, then the automatization flag is set to “ON”. If the system isnot to be automatically migrated, then the automatization flag is set to“OFF”.

The information analyzer 160 performs a tendency analysis based on theinformation shown in FIGS. 9 through 11. Results of the tendencyanalysis are displayed on the display monitor 11, and transmitted byelectronic mail or the like to the system administrator. Examples of theresults of the tendency analysis will be described below with referenceto FIGS. 12 through 15.

FIG. 12 shows a transition which the amount of data managed by a serverundergoes. FIG. 12 illustrates a graph having a horizontal axisrepresenting dates and a vertical axis ratios of data used by theserver, i.e., percentages of values produced when used amounts of dataare divided by assigned amounts of data. The used amounts of data andthe assigned amounts of data are the sums of used amounts of data andassigned amounts of data in the file systems of the server.

FIG. 13 shows a transition which the amount of data used by anapplication undergoes. FIG. 13 illustrates a graph having a horizontalaxis representing dates and a vertical axis ratios of data used by theapplication.

FIG. 14 shows a transition which the amount of data managed by a filesystem undergoes. FIG. 14 illustrates a graph having a horizontal axisrepresenting dates and a vertical axis ratios of data managed by a filesystem whose path is represented by “/home/aplA/”.

FIG. 15 shows another transition which the amount of data managed by afile system undergoes. FIG. 14 illustrates a graph having a horizontalaxis representing dates and a vertical axis ratios of data managed by afile system whose path is represented by “/work/aplA/”.

The information collection and the tendency analysis as described aboveare performed according to a preset scanning schedule. Based on thecollected management information, it is determined whether the amount ofused data has exceeded a used capacity monitoring threshold or notaccording to an action schedule. If the amount of used data has exceededa used capacity monitoring threshold with respect to any of the filesystems, then the analytic result indicator 170 sends a threshold excessindication to the managing terminal device 20.

FIG. 16 shows the manner in which a threshold excess is indicated. Theanalytic result indicator 170 sends a threshold excess indication 60 tothe managing terminal device 20, using electronic mail, for example.

If the system needs to be migrated, then the automatic migrator 180migrates the system. For example, if the amount of data stored in astorage device has exceeded a used capacity monitoring threshold, thenpart of the stored data is transferred from the storage device toanother storage device.

FIG. 17 shows the manner in which a system migration occurs. As shown inFIG. 17, the automatic migrator 180 instructs the agent 232 to transferdata from the storage device 252 to the other storage device 253.Similarly, the automatic migrator 180 instructs the application 233 totransfer data from the storage device 252 to the other storage device253.

For example, the automatic migrator 180 moves data in the directory“/work/AplA/” which has been unaccessed for 300 days to a directorycalled “/tmp”. The directory “/tmp” is present in a storage device thatis cheaper and slower in access speed than the storage device having thedirectory “/work/AplA/”. As a result of the migration, the efficiency ofusage of resources in the system is increased. In this case, however,the levels of importance of the data shown in FIG. 5, the performancesof the storage devices shown in FIG. 6, and the levels of importance andthe guaranteed I/O response values in the directory managementinformation shown in FIG. 9 need to be the same as each other.

Other examples of automatic migrations will be described below.

FIG. 18 shows, partly in block form, results of a tendency analysis ofdata that has not been used for a long period of time. As shown in FIG.18, the information analyzer 160 refers to the data attribute table 140and searches for data that has been unaccessed for one year or more. Theinformation analyzer 160 also refers to the storage attribute table 150and locates a storage device storing data that has been unaccessed forone year or more. The information analyzer 160 performs a tendencyanalysis on the acquired data, and the analytic result indicator 170sends results of the tendency analysis to the managing terminal device20.

The analytic results are sent in the form of a data list 71, aserver-dependent data distribution table 72, and astorage-device-dependent data distribution table 73.

The data list 71 is a list of registered data not accessed for one yearor more.

The server-dependent data distribution table 72 is represented by acircle graph showing a distribution of data not accessed for one year ormore among servers. It can be determined from system configurationinformation, not shown, which server can access each of the storagedevices.

The storage-device-dependent data distribution table 73 is representedby a circle graph showing a distribution of data not accessed for oneyear or more among storage devices.

These results of the tendency analysis show that data which has beenunaccessed for a long period of time is disproportionately present inthe storage device “pool1”. Therefore, the automatic migrator 180controls the applications 233, 233 a, 233 b and the agent 232 totransfer the data which has been unaccessed for a long period of time inthe storage device “pool1” to another storage device. In this fashion,the frequencies of data access to the storage devices are uniformized.

FIG. 19 shows, partly in block form, results of a tendency analysis of astored amount of data as it changes from the past to the future. Asshown in FIG. 19, the information analyzer 160 refers to the dataattribute table 140 and the storage attribute table 150 and determinesdata storage area usage ratios of the respective servers and therespective storage devices. The information analyzer 160 periodicallydetermines data storage area usage ratios over a continuous period oftime. The information analyzer 160 analyzes a transition of data storagearea usage ratios in the past and predicts a transition of data storagearea usage ratios in the future. The analytic result indicator 170 sendsanalyzed results of the transitions of the data storage area usageratios of the respective servers and the storage devices in the past andthe future, to the managing terminal device 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 19, the analytic result indicator 170 sendsa table 81 representing a transition of data storage area usage ratiosof a server A and a table 82 representing a transition of data storagearea usage ratios of the storage device “pool1”, as analytic resultsrepresenting data at the time of Oct. 01, 2005 to the managing terminaldevice 20. It can be understood from these tables 81, 82 that the datastorage area usage ratio of the server A has not been changed largely,but the data storage area usage ratio of the storage device “pool1”,which is highly expensive, has a growing tendency.

FIG. 20 shows, partly in block form, results of a tendency analysis ofan I/O response and a data storage area usage ratio. As shown in FIG.20, the information analyzer 160 refers to the data attribute table 140and the storage attribute table 150 and determines I/O responses of therespective applications and data storage area usage ratios of therespective storage devices. The information analyzer 160 periodicallydetermines I/O responses and data storage area usage ratios over acontinuous period of time. The information analyzer 160 analyzes atransition of I/O responses of the applications in the past and predictsa transition of I/O responses of the applications in the future. Theinformation analyzer 160 also analyzes a transition of data storage areausage ratios of the respective storage devices in the past and predictsa transition of data storage area usage ratios of the respective storagedevices in the future. The analytic result indicator 170 sends analyzedresults of the transitions of the I/O responses of the applications andthe data storage area usage ratios of the storage devices to themanaging terminal device 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 20, the analytic result indicator 170 sendsa table 91 representing a transition of I/O responses of an applicationA and a table 92 representing a transition of data storage area usageratios of the storage device “pool1”, as analytic results representingdata at the time of Oct. 01, 2005 to the managing terminal device 20. Areview of these tables 91, 92 indicates that the I/O responses of theapplication A are poor and the data storage area usage ratio of thestorage device “pool1” has a growing tendency. Therefore, it can beestimated that a reduction in the free storage capacity of the storagedevice has made the I/O responses of the application A poor. In thiscase, the analytic result indicator 170 sends the system administrator amessage proposing that the used storage area of the storage device“pool1” should be reduced by transferring data therefrom to anotherstorage device.

FIG. 21 shows, partly in block form, results of a tendency analysis of abusy rate and an I/O response. As shown in FIG. 21, the informationanalyzer 160 refers to the data attribute table 140 and the storageattribute table 150 and determines I/O responses of the respectiveapplications and busy rates of the respective storage devices. It isassumed that busy rates of the respective storage devices have beenretrieved from the storage devices by the hardware information collector130 and additionally registered in the storage attribute table 150 shownin FIG. 6. The information analyzer 160 periodically determines I/Oresponses and busy rates over a continuous period of time. Theinformation analyzer 160 analyzes a transition of I/O responses of theapplications in the past and predicts a transition of I/O responses ofthe applications in the future. The information analyzer 160 alsoanalyzes a transition of busy rates of the respective storage devices inthe past and predicts a transition of busy rates of the respectivestorage devices in the future. The analytic result indicator 170 sendsanalyzed results of the transitions of the I/O responses of theapplications and the busy rates of the storage devices to the managingterminal device 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 21, the analytic result indicator 170 sendsa table 301 representing a transition of I/O responses of theapplication A and a table 302 representing a transition of busy rates ofthe storage devices “pool1”, “pool2”, as analytic results representingdata at the time of Oct. 01, 2005 to the managing terminal device 20. Areview of these tables 301, 302 indicates that the I/O responses of theapplication A are poor and the busy rate of the storage device “pool1”has a growing tendency. Therefore, it can be estimated that aconcentration of access to the storage device has made the I/O responsesof the application A poor. In this case, the analytic result indicator170 sends the system administrator a message proposing that data shouldbe transferred from the storage device “pool1” to the storage device“pool2”. The transfer of data will increase the I/O response of theapplication A.

The automatic migrator 180 may automatically transfer data from astorage device to another storage device without the need for sendingthe analytic results to the system administrator. For example, theautomatic migrator 180 may be arranged such that when the busy rate of astorage device approaches a predetermined value, e.g., 30%, theautomatic migrator 180 transfers data from the storage device having thehigh busy rate to another storage device having a low busy rate in orderto prevent the high busy rate from exceeding the predetermined value.

FIG. 22 shows, partly in block form, results of an adequacy analysis ofa backup schedule based on a tendency analysis of recovery frequency. Asshown in FIG. 22, the information analyzer 160 refers to the dataattribute table 140 and the storage attribute table 150, and judgesrecovery frequencies of respective data, whether the data need to bebacked up or not, and backup times of the respective data. It is assumedthat the backup times of data have been retrieved from a backupapplication by the application information collector 110 andadditionally registered in the data attribute table 140 shown in FIG. 5.The information analyzer 160 periodically determines recoveryfrequencies, whether data needs to be backed up or not, and backup timesover a continuous period of time. The information analyzer 160 analyzesratios of a recovery action, i.e., an action to return backup data to anoriginal storage device, on data or storage devices, and also analyzesthe adequacy of a backup schedule. The analytic result indicator 170sends analyzed results of the recovery action ratios and the backupschedule adequacy to the managing terminal device 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 22, the analytic result indicator 170 sendsa recovery ratio table 311 and a backup schedule analysis table 312 asthe analytic results to the managing terminal device 20. The adequacy ofa backup schedule is determined by comparing the backup time of backupdata used for recovery and the backup time of latest backup data thatcan be used for recovery with each other.

If the backup time of the backup data used for recovery is earlier thanthe backup time of the latest backup data that can be used for recovery,then the backup schedule is judged as being adequate. If the backup timeof the backup data used for recovery is the same as the backup time ofthe latest backup data that can be used for recovery, it is judged thatthere has been a loss of data, i.e., a loss of data to be recovered,between the backup time of the backup data and a recovery time.

The information analyzer 160 can also list data on a backup schedulethat have not been recovered within a predetermined period of time, asanalytic results of the adequacy of the backup schedule based on thetendency analysis of recovery frequency.

FIG. 23 shows, partly in block form, results of an analysis of anunrecovery backup schedule. As shown in FIG. 23, the informationanalyzer 160 searches the data attribute table 140 and the storageattribute table 150 for data that has been recovered “0” times, andgenerates an unrecovery backup schedule list 313. The analytic resultindicator 170 sends the unrecovery backup schedule list 313 to themanaging terminal device 20.

The unrecovery backup schedule list 313 contains a list of data thathave been recovered “0” times within a predetermined period of time. Inthe example shown in FIG. 23, the unrecovery backup schedule list 313also contains backed-up amounts of those unrecovered data and theirbackup schedules.

The system administrator can stop an unwanted backup process byreferring to the unrecovery backup schedule list 313.

The information analyzer 160 can also detect setting omissions of abackup schedule.

FIG. 24 shows, partly in block form, results of an analysis of settingomissions of a backup schedule. As shown in FIG. 24, the informationanalyzer 160 searches the data attribute table 140 and the storageattribute table 150 for data that has a backup setting “NO”, anddetermines whether those pieces of data are updated or not within apredetermined period of time. Then, the information analyzer 160generates a no-backup data table 321 and a no-backup dataupdating/no-updating ratio table 322. The analytic result indicator 170sends the no-backup data table 321 and the no-backup dataupdating/no-updating ratio table 322 to the managing terminal device 20.

The no-backup data table 321 lists data whose backup settings are “NO”.Each of the data is combined with settings including the name (poolnumber) of a storage device which stores the data and a recommendedbackup schedule.

The recommended backup schedule for data is determined depending on thefrequency at which the data is to be updated and the level of importanceof the data. For example, as the level of importance of data is higher,the data is backed up at shorter backup intervals, and as the updatinginterval of data is shorter, the data is backed up at shorter backupintervals.

The no-backup data updating/no-updating ratio table 322 is representedby a circle graph showing the ratios of data that has been updatedwithin a predetermined period of time and data that has not beenupdated, of no-backup data. The no-backup data updating/no-updatingratio table 322 is generated for each of the storage devices.

As described above, since an operational plan for the system iscalculated based on a combination of the management information that theapplications have, the management information that the OS has, and themanagement information that the storage devices have, the system can beoperated efficiently.

For example, information as to the frequency at which each data isaccessed is acquired from the applications, and the data whose accessfrequency is low are transferred to a low-speed, inexpensive storagedevice. In this manner, the storage devices has their ROI increased.

By acquiring management information as to the I/O responses of storagedevices from the applications, etc., a reduction in the I/O responsescan easily be found out. When the I/O response of a storage device isreduced, part of the data stored in the storage device can betransferred to another storage device.

In backup management, the adequacy of a backup schedule can bedetermined in view of the updated state of data. Consequently, anyprocesses to be performed to handle a situation that occurs in the eventof a fault are minimized.

Of the data managed by the OS, data that escapes from a backup schedulecan be detected. Therefore, important data is reliably backed up withoutfail.

Furthermore, management information is collected by polling whennecessary, e.g., when the system configuration is changed. Consequently,any burdens imposed on the system by collecting management informationare reduced. As a result, even if the system is of a large scale, it canmonitor data access from the applications.

The processing functions described above can be implemented by acomputer. The computer executes a program which is descriptive of thedetails of the functions to be performed by the management server,thereby carrying out the processing functions. The program can berecorded on recording mediums that can be read by the computer.Recording mediums that can be read by the computer include a magneticrecording device, an optical disc, a magneto-optical recording medium, asemiconductor memory, etc. Magnetic recording devices include a harddisk drive (HDD), a floppy disk (FD), a magnetic tape, etc. Opticaldiscs include a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a DVD-RAM (DigitalVersatile Disc Random-Access Memory), a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-OnlyMemory), a CD-R (Recordable)/RW (ReWritable), etc. Magneto-opticalrecording mediums include an MO (Magneto-Optical) disk.

For distributing the program, portable recording mediums such as DVDs,CD-ROMs, etc. which store the program are offered for sale. Furthermore,the program may be stored in a memory of the server computer, and thentransferred from the server computer to another client computer via anetwork.

The computer which executes the program stores the program stored in aportable recording medium or transferred from the server computer intoits own memory. Then, the computer reads the program from its ownmemory, and performs processing sequences according to the program.Alternatively, the computer may directly read the program from theportable recording medium and perform processing sequences according tothe program. Further alternatively, each time the computer receives aprogram segment from the server computer, the computer may perform aprocessing sequence according to the received program segment.

According to the present invention, inasmuch the adequacy of themanagement of resources is determined using management informationrepresenting data access from application functions, the adequacy of themanagement of resources can appropriately be determined.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles ofthe present invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changeswill readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired tolimit the invention to the exact construction and applications shown anddescribed, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalentsmay be regarded as falling within the scope of the invention in theappended claims and their equivalents.

1. A recording medium readable by a computer and storing a systemmanaging program for assisting in optimizing a system configuration byenabling said computer to function as: application informationcollecting means for acquiring management information representingbackup and recovery of data from an application function which isrealized when a server of a network system executes an applicationprogram, and registering the acquired management information in a systemmanagement table; system information collecting means for collectingmanagement information on data management by a file system from anoperating system of said server, and registering the collectedmanagement information in said system management table; and informationanalyzing means for referring to said system management table anddetermining whether the adequacy of said backup schedule by comparing abackup time of backup data that was actually used in recovery and abackup time of latest backup data that can be used for recovery witheach other; wherein said information analyzing means judges that saidbackup schedule is adequate if the backup time of the backup data thatwas actually used in recovery is earlier than the backup time of thelatest backup data that can be used for recovery.
 2. The recordingmedium according to claim 1, wherein said system managing programenables said computer to function as: analytic result indicating meansfor indicating analytic results from said information analyzing means toa terminal device used by a system administrator.
 3. The recordingmedium according to claim 1, wherein said information analyzing meanslists data which has been backed up and which has not been recovered fora predetermined period of time.
 4. The recording medium according toclaim 1, wherein said information analyzing means lists data which hasescaped from from said backup schedule provided by said applicationfunction, of data managed by said operating system.
 5. The recordingmedium readable by a computer and storing a system managing program forassisting in optimizing a system configuration by enabling said computerto function as: application information collecting means for acquiringmanagement information representing backup and recovery of data from anapplication function which is realized when a server of a network systemexecutes an application program, and registering the acquired managementinformation in a system management table; system information collectingmeans for collecting management information on data managed by a filesystem from an operating system of said server, and registering thecollected management information in said system management table; andinformation analyzing means for referring to said system managementtable and determining the adequacy of said backup schedule by comparinga backup time of backup data that was actually used in recovery and abackup time of latest backup data that can be used for recovery witheach other; wherein said information analyzing means judges that saidbackup schedule is inadequate if the backup time of the backup data thatwas actually used in recovery is the same as the backup time of thelatest backup data that can be used for recovery.
 6. A system managingmethod for assisting in optimizing a system configuration based on aprocessing operation of a computer, comprising: acquiring managementinformation representing backup and recovery of data from an applicationfunction which is realized when a server of a network system executes anapplication program, and registering the acquired management informationin a system management table; collecting management information on datamanagement by a file system from an operating system of said server, andregistering the collected management information in said systemmanagement table; and referring to said system management table anddetermining whether a backup schedule provided by said applicationfunction is acceptable, by comparing a backup time of backup data thatwas actually used in recovery with backup time of latest backup datathat can be used for recovery; wherein judging that said backup scheduleis adequate if the backup time of the backup data that was actually usedin recovery is earlier than the backup time of the latest backup datathat can be used for recovery.
 7. A system managing apparatus forassisting in optimizing a system configuration, comprising: applicationinformation collecting means for acquiring management informationrepresenting backup and recovery of data from an application functionwhich is realized when a server of a network system executes anapplication program, and registering the acquired management informationin a system management table; system information collecting means forcollecting management information on data managed by a file system froman operating system of said server, and registering the collectedmanagement information in said system management table; and informationanalyzing means for referring to said system management table anddetermining whether the backup schedule provided by said applicationfunction is acceptable, by comparing a backup time of backup data thatwas actually used in recovery with a backup time of latest backup datathat can be used for recovery; wherein said information analyzing meansjudges that said backup schedule is adequate if the backup time of thebackup data that was actually used in recovery is earlier than thebackup time of the latest backup data that can be used for recovery.